March 29, 2024

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Rwanda celebrates Africa Day of Information Next week

Media Personalities attending the 2017 Development Journalism Awards/ Photo: RGB

Rwanda Governance Board is organizing the celebration of the Africa Day of Information, an event set to be held on 7th November 2018, TOPAFRICANEWS has learnt

The event will bring together local journalists, media practitioners, regional and continental media experts to discuss “Africa’s Transformation: The role of Access to Information”

The idea to celebrate the Africa Day of Information came from the meeting of Heads of State and government who were attending the inaugural Conference of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in Addis Ababa on May 25th, 1963. They also proposed the establishment of an African News Agency. The Pan-African news agency (PANA) was subsequently established and hosted in Dakar, Senegal.

In Rwanda, the Africa Day of Information was for the first time celebrated in 2008. There was little attention to the celebration of the day with journalists opting to celebrate the World Press Freedom day which falls on 3rd May every year.

However, this was to change in December 2015. Over 300 Rwandan journalists attending Itorero dubbed “Impamyabigwi” held at the National Ubutore Development Center resolved to mark the Africa Day of Information with the motivation of rallying African countries to find solutions to the challenges that they are faced with. The celebration of the day that was set aside by Africans themselves was seen as a starting point.

MAIN OBJECTIVE

The objective of celebrating the Africa Day of Information is to revitalise the role of African media in the continent’s transformation and development in light of the Agenda 2063.

  1. Specific objectives
  • To build strong Africa media networks to tell the African story and shape the “Africa We Want’
  • To popularise the Africa Day of Information and encourage other African countries to use as a platform to promote Pan-Africanism and Africa’s renaissance
  • To highlight the role of African media in shaping the narrative about the continent and in promoting the aspirations of the African people as enshrined in Agenda 2063

THEME  

This year, the Africa Day of Information will be celebrated under the theme: “Africa’s Transformation: The role of Access to Information”. The theme was chosen in a bid to raise awareness on the importance of the Access to Information in the transformation and development of the continent as enshrined especially in Agenda 2063.

Access to information is a key pillar of democracy as it facilitates public participation in public affairs, more importantly, the free flow of information is one of the hallmarks of a functioning democracy. Access to information by journalists is crucial if they are to speak truth to power and hold governments to account.  Equally, it is important to give citizens access to information so that they become part of a continental drive towards inclusive and shared prosperity. This contributes to the promotion of good governance, transparency and accountability.

In 2013, Rwanda enacted the Access to Information Law hence becoming the 11th country on the continent and 94th globally to have such a law in place. The promotion of access to information in Rwanda is part of the country’s efforts to promote and build the capacity of the media sector in general. This is also highlighted among key priorities of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1), a seven-year Government Programme (2017-2024) set to accelerate Rwanda’s development.

Five years after the enactment of this law; it is important to reflect on the progress made in Rwanda but also on the continent with a view to charting a way forward.

Discussions will be centred on two topics: The Role of Media in Shaping Africa’s Transformation and Reporting Africa: Access to Information – Challenges and Opportunities.

The first topic will focus on Media challenges and opportunities in reporting Africa; creating an ecosystem of access to information for all in Africa, investing in content production and diversification in Africa’s digital media, and access to information law in practice.

The second topic will focus on media and Africa’s agenda 2063; African media networks to tell the African story and citizen participation in Africa’s Transformation.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

 The event is expected to popularise the Africa Day of Information and raise awareness on the Access to Information Law. Key recommendations on the implementation of the Access to Information Law will be realised.

PARTICIPANTS

 Participants of the one-day event include; civil society organizations, government officials, local media practitioners and experts, development partners, policymakers and members of the academia and, regional and continental media experts, among others.

OTHER ACTIVITIES  

The celebration of the Africa Day of Information will coincide with the launch of the Rwanda Media Barometer 2018 (RMB2018). The RMB is a tool used to regularly monitor and assess media development in Rwanda. On the same day, best performing journalists and Media Houses will be awarded to promote excellence and professionalism in Media Sector.

EXPECTED SPEAKERS

  • Hon. Anastase Murekezi (Chief Ombudsman)
  • Ms Leslie Richer (Director of Information & Communication, African Union)
  • Mr Eric Chinje ( CEO, Africa Media Initiative)
  • Mr Constant Nemale ( CEO, Africa24
  • Ms Keitirele Mathapi, (President, Executive Council of the African Union of Broadcasting)
  • Mr Arthur Asiimwe ( DG, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency)
  • Ms Lydia Gachungi (UNESCO Liaison Office for AU & UNECA)
  • Ms Judith Kazaire (Head of Service Delivery, Good Governance & JADF – RGB)
  • Ms Berna Namata ( Country Manager, Nation Media Group)
  • Dr Calorine Nabuzale (Mount Kenya University – Rwanda)
  • Mr Albert-Baudouin Twizeyimana ( National Coordinator, Pax Press Rwanda)
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